Large bags and bags used for packaging heavy contents often require increased strength to withstand packaging processes and post-packaging handling. To provide the increased strength, areas of a bag in which stress tends to be focused can be strengthened to avoid breaking and spilling contents of the bag. In particular, stresses are typically focused in the area of a bag handle during handling. If the handle has inadequate strength, it may cause discomfort to the user, and the handle may stretch or tear, making handling the bag difficult, especially when the bag is large or holds heavy contents.
Manufacturing processes have been developed to reinforce the handles of heavy duty bags by adding extra material in the handle area of the bag. In one approach, the material at an edge of the bag is gusseted by folding the material into itself to double the number of layers of material at the edge of the bag. The gusseted edge is then sealed, and a handle is punched through the gusseted material. In other approaches, extra material is added to the outside of the bag in the handle area. For example, a strip of material may be folded over the top of the bag and attached to the outside of the bag. A handle is then punched through the top of the bag, passing through both the bag material and the exterior reinforcing material.
Conventional approaches for reinforcing bag headers with extra material can provide extra strength to withstand handling, but the approaches can also lead to complications that may compromise the integrity of a bag or detract from the appearance of the bag. For example, when an extra strip of material is applied to the exterior of the bag, the applied material may interfere with graphics that are printed onto the bag. The extra material creates edges where the material is attached to the bag exterior, and the edges may not be easily printed over, thus interrupting graphics applied to the bag. In gusseted approaches, the gusset at the top of the bag may be undesirable as it also may detract from the appearance of the bag.